The present invention relates to a printing apparatus which conducts printing based on data expressing images and/or characters, and in particular, to a technology wherein data which a printer requests through a network are transmitted to the printer for printing. It further relates to a charge calculation method, a the payment charging method, a print system, a printer client and a service system all in the occasion to duplicate image data of a book received through a communication network on a recording material.
In recent years, images and documents are in increasing opportunities where the images and documents are made to be electronic like data expressing images and/or characters. When images and documents are made to be data expressing images and/or characters, a user can print out freely by the use of a printing apparatus.
On the other hand, books have been made to be electronic, causing handiness and a problem of unauthorized duplication. To solve this problem, there is taken a measure to prevent illegal duplication by offering encrypted data expressing images and/or characters, or a measure to conduct a the payment charging process for each duplication when data expressing images and/or characters are duplicated.
As a form of electronic publication, there is a demand for offering publications to users by downloading digital data relating to books from a server that is connected to an internet and by making them to be printed. However, fearing that free duplication is possible, those who offer digital data concerning books tend to refrain from offering digital data concerning books from which an income of royalties is expected.
Namely, books are handled as image data, and therefore, there is caused a problem that duplication can easily be carried out and royalties can not be collected completely, resulting in retarded spread of electronic publication.
Incidentally, digital data relating to books include literary works, scientific essays, dictionaries, magazines and other books, and photographs and pictures are included sometimes. Further, photographic albums, books of paintings and maps wherein writing is not main subject are also included in digital data concerning books.
In TOKKAIHEI No. 7-239828, there is described technology wherein encryption that can be decrypted is conducted by a document server only on a user authenticated by a copyright server, and a document is transmitted to a printing agent corresponding to the user so that each agent may decrypt for printing.
In the aforesaid official gazette, there is described that the technology can prevent illegal copy in an electronic publication.
In TOKKAIHEI No. 6-103286, there is described technology wherein when a user inputs, through a modem, a command which transmits a copy of a book, a royalty payment program intercepts a duplication command to discontinue duplication operations and the royalty payment program presents royalty payment information stored in a file annexed to a book text or a book to a user.
In the aforesaid official gazette, there is described that the technology makes it possible for an author and a publishing company to protect copyright in their books simply and surely, by providing a means to compel a reader to pay royalties when the reader duplicates a part or the whole of a soft copy book.
Due to the technologies stated above, free copying is prohibited and collection of royalties may be secured. However, neither of the aforesaid official gazettes takes up, as a problem, a possibility that royalties are collected even when a user cannot obtain publications published electronically, although digital data are obtained by a printer client operated by the user, and therefore, the technology solving this problem is not disclosed. If it is impossible for a user to obtain publications in spite of royalties collected, this must be taken up by the user as an ethical or legal problem.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a print system wherein the payment charging process that is in compensation for publications by an electronic publication obtained by a user is made possible.
Further, there is made no mention about a possibility that printing failure and delay are caused and processing load for the printer client is increased, when transmitting and receiving of digital data are executed in utter disregard of a capacity of the printer client and of printing specifications selected by a user.
Therefore, another object of the invention is to provide a print system which prevents that printing failure and delay are caused and processing load for the printer client is increased even when a capacity of the printer client and printing specifications selected by a user are observed.
In the system disclosed in the aforesaid official gazette, the total amount of royalties is to collect the royalties established by a person having copyright or a publishing company (service-offering company), which causes a problem in the following occasions. For example, when a user downloads image data of a book for duplication on a printer installed in a convenience store or a library, through a communication network, the royalties stated above only make it difficult for the convenience store or the library to obtain a charge for using the printer.
Even if the charge for using the printer is included in the aforesaid royalties, there still is a following problem. First of all, if the charge for a user who duplicates with its own printer is the same as that for duplicating with a printer installed in a convenience store, the user must pay the aforesaid charge for using excessively. Secondly, when a user duplicates by enlarging images or reducing images, it is impossible to obtain an appropriate charge for using under the situation that a charge for using paper differs between enlargement and reduction. Thirdly, each of a convenience store and a library can not establish a uniform charge for using that is the same as others, because its land use charge is different from others and its purchasing cost of paper is different from others.
It is a matter of course that the system of this kind can be prosperous only when the aforesaid charge for using can be obtained properly and royalties can also be obtained properly.
It is therefore an object of the invention to make it possible to obtain appropriate charges on both a service offering side and a user side through a communication network.